Recently,the problem of possible ionising radiation effects on environment was elucidated to certain degree.The new recommendations of the ICRP have pointed out the necessity to consider radiation risk to non-human biota independently from the risk to humans and beyond environmental pathways leading to human exposure at all.It resulted that the slightly different radiation risk scenarios must be developed and analyzed.Alpha radiation is not usually considered as a significant agent of radiation risk when a man is externally exposed but in case of plant roots or earworms it can play a crucial role.Actually among artificial radionuclides present in fallout alpha emitters are rare but NORM and TENORM usually contains a suite of natural radionuclides plenty with alpha emitters.Moreover such residues are quite often,due to lack the proper regulation,deposited in surface tailings.Such circumstances create a unique scenario where the surrounding environment is in direct contact with contaminated substance and can be exposed to external alpha radiation.In order to assess the actual exposure to external alpha radiation 19 substrates containing radium isotopes and its progeny were prepared based on sediments collected in mine settling pond.TLD probes,routinely used for radon progeny concentration measurement,has been placed directly on the smooth sediment surface.After two week exposure TLD were readout and accumulated doses were calculated.Obtained results proved that external exposure to alpha radiation may constitute major part of the total dose received by an organism living in the direct contact with contaminated soil.